Financial Times 13,949 by Cincinnus

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 10, 2012

There were a few tough clues in this puzzle, such as 9A (APTERYX) and 13D (AUDIOBOOK), but also such gems as 18A (ASSAM), 23A (COLUMBA) and 15D (TEA CHESTS).

Across
1. SAPPHO – SAP (fool) + PHO[to] (picture to absent)
4. CISTUS – hidden word (classiCIST USed). I had to look up this word — probably many people did!
8. COAL TIT – anagram of TOIL CAT
9. APTERYX – anagram of AT PREY + X (times). Apteryx is actually the name of a family of flightless birds, the one to which the kiwi belongs.
11. EXPRESSWAY – EXPRESS (say) + WA (Washington) + Y (unknown)
12. ETON – NOTE (reminder) backwards
13. ASSAY – ASSA[m] (from 18A) + Y (years)
14. ROTATION – ROT (nonsense) + anagram of INTO A
16. ADHERENT – HER (female) in anagram of DANTE
18. ASSAM – MASS (service) + A[esthetes] all backwards
20. SOUP – SO (like this) + UP (at university)
21. NEIGHBOURS – anagram of HOUSE BRING
23. COLUMBA – COLUMBUS (who sailed the ocean blue) with A (article) replacing US (me and you). I am a sucker for clues that rhyme and this clue would stand out even without the rhyme. By the way, “who sailed the ocean blue” is an extract from a poem about Columbus.
24. ISOLATE – anagram of TO ISLE A
25. KIDNAP – KID (Josh) + NAP (a little sleep)
26. OSIERS – anagram of ROSE IS

Down
1. SIOUX – O (old) + U (university) together in SIX (boundary — as in cricket)
2. POLARIS – [g]OL[d] in PARIS (capital)
3. HAIRSTYLE – HAIR (musical) + STYLE (tailor)
5. IMPLY – [s]IMPLY (just going topless)
6. THE BEST – THEBES (ancient city) + T[hebes] (its leader)
7. STYROFOAM – anagram of SAY TO FORM
10. SWORDTAIL – anagram of TOWARDS + I (island) + L[agoon]
13. AUDIOBOOK – AUDI (car) + [h]OBO (vagrant without aspiration) + OK (satisfactory). “Work we hear” is the devious definition here!
15. TEA CHESTS – TEACHES (trains) + T[rain]S
17. EXPOUND – EX (old) + POUND (poet)
19. STOOLIE – STOOL (seat) + IE (that is)
21. NUBIA – NU (Greek character) + B[elieve] + I[n] + A[ncient]
22. RATES – E (English) in RATS (vermin)